Congress party finally announced on 23rd Jan 2017 that it has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP).
It will contest from 105 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections .
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav earlier said he wouldn't offer the Congress a chance to contest from more than 100 seats.
The Congress wanted to contest as many as 121 seats.
Akhilesh said his final offer was 99-100 seats for the Congress.
It was when Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi stepped in that the alliance fructified.
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress will fight the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together.
This is a move that both parties hope will help them consolidate the Muslim vote, a significant 19 per cent of the electorate.
Two parties agreed on a seat sharing formula under which the Congress will contest 105 seats while the SP will battle it out in 298 seats under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
The Congress emerged a winner from the deal as it got thrice the number of seats than its 2012 tally of just 28.
The SP had won 224 seats.
Samajwadi Party: Know More- Abbreviation: SP
- President: Akhilesh Yadav
- Lok Sabha leader: Mulayam Singh Yadav
- Rajya Sabha leader: Ram Gopal Yadav
- Founder: Mulayam Singh Yadav
- Founded: 10 April 1992
- Headquarters: 18 Copernicus Lane, New Delhi, India
- Newspaper: Samajwadi Bulletin
